I will be honest and say that I am still mystified by how high a rating this drama has. While certainly not the worst drama I've ever seen, it was far from one of the better ones. While it did gradually improve as it progressed, I didn't find anything noteworthy about it, other than I did very much like the dance sequence at the end of each episode. It's sort of cute at times, but more frustrating than anything, mostly due to Thi's character. I'll just say that I really don't get the hype.

The story is pretty basic. Gangster kid clashes with older nerd type college student and they eventually fall in love. That's it, that's the story. There's nothing particularly special or unique about it that I found which could be part of why I had a hard time getting into it. The pacing was also quite slow in the beginning and there was a feeling of repetitiveness at times. The pacing did improve as it progressed and I found myself more invested as the relationship also progressed, but it never fully captured me. This wasn't one where I was concerned that I was going to miss something if I was doing something else. There were plot lines that were left unresolved or just ignored. For example, Thi's parents were introduced as an obstacle to their relationship and Noey talks about winning them over, but they're never seen afterward or even really mentioned. Noey and Thi continue their relationship apparently without any further issues which begs the question of, what was the point then other than unnecessary drama. If you're going to create a problem, then stick with it and solve it, don't just leave it hanging. Noey's father is also left dangling tantalizingly. He's mentioned multiple times and you think that eventually someone is going to talk about him, but they never do to any real extent.

Character-wise, I liked Noey. He was interesting to watch as his character developed and his development felt relatively steady. His struggle with wanting to continue being a gangster and being a better person for his mother, sister, and Thi was well done. The polarity of his character was also interesting, the way he vacillated between the tough gangster and dreamy romantic. The uniqueness of his style and the way he viewed the world added layers to his character that really brought him to life and made him stand out. As much as I liked Noey, I couldn't stand Thi. His over the top reactions, awkwardness, and constant reluctance quickly became grating. His character felt far more stagnant in terms of growth and I just didn't find him to be particularly interesting. I honestly don't know what Noey saw in him. While the age gap between them is somewhat concerning, their relationship is very PG. Not that it makes it okay, but I'm also viewing things as a Westerner, and underage relationships are frowned upon on principle. That being said, neither one pushes things physically and the innocence of their interactions does make it more palatable.

Of the actors, the two that stood out to me were Tar and Mild. Tar was just so suave in the role. He was engaging and his acting didn't feel forced at all. Considering his age, I was very impressed. Mild nailed Nid Nhoi's deadpan delivery, but also showed her range in the more emotional scenes. As much as I was not a fan of Thi, Bom actually did a decent job with the character, especially given this was his first role. He was expressive, though a bit limited, but it didn't feel forced. His chemistry with Tar was subtle, but present. It worked given the characters they were portraying.

All in all, it's not a bad drama, it just didn't live up to my expectations given its rating. I was expecting more from it and it simply didn't deliver. The acting is the one strong point of this drama, as is the music, which grew on me over the course of the series. The one part that I really enjoyed, like I mentioned before, was the dance scene at the end of each episode and the way it mirrored the tone of each episode. Unfortunately it was one of the only things I liked. Not salty like Noey's cooking, not delicious like Auntie Tim's, just bland. This isn't a drama that I would recommend.